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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Well, this is great news! I wonder if they've improved the build-quality of the keybeds as well....and if this new sound generation technology will carry over to the Celviano line, especially the AP-620!

Hmm.. I might actually buy one of these. My piano teacher swears against Casio because she thinks they are "cheap foreign junk"..but I think they are making strides with the Privia line. I had my sights set on a Roland F-120 but I might give this stuff a shot.

This is a really curious opinion because, unless you count the relatively rare Nord products, or the virtually defunct GEM keyboards, they are ALL Japanese: Roland, Yamaha, Kawai, Korg AND Casio. Is your teacher Japanese, by any chance. If not, this opinion doesn't seem to hold water. And if she is Japanese, why is Casio any different from the others?

In any case, this new range sounds like a very serious proposition - I look forward to trying them!

This is very encouraging news indeed. The sound engine for Casio pianos hasn't really been updated for a number of years, and its deficiencies were well-noted. If this update addresses the principal shortcomings of over-rapid decay and obvious stretching, it will go a long way towards making the Privia line truly competitive with the other contenders. The upgraded keyboard is welcome, too, particularly if it moves the feel more towards the recent offerings from Kawai and Roland.

Realistically, while the memory increase is welcome, I wonder whether it's sufficient to address both stretching and decay (not to mention looping). I seem to recall that Casios are generally stretched over groups of three or four notes, and so it's debatable whether a 3x memory allocation is going to do more than deal with a single issue - either stretching, or decay, or loop lengths. Of course, they may be employing some very sophisticated technology to eke out the available resources across the board, but I note that there is no mention of 88-key sampling. Still, the proof of the pudding...

_________________________"you don't need to have been a rabbit in order to become a veterinarian"

The PX-150 can be purchased for an MSRP of $899.99, the PX-350 for an MSRP of $1,099.99 , the PX-750 for an MSRP of $1,099.99 and the black PX-850 for an MSRP of $1,499.99. For additional information regarding Casio’s Privia line of digital pianos, please visitwww.casiomusicgear.com

Why is this a good thing? I've always found pianos and keyboards to have slippery keys. TBH I'd prefer grippy keys. It may well be my inexperience but unless I hit them absolutely square on, I slip (this may well be related to the hand care thread I made as my hands are exceptionally smooth from constant washing).

justpin, regarding the slippery keys. Yes, you are right that standard keys found on the majority of acoustic pianos - including most grands produced in the last 60 years, I'd guess, can be quite slippery. But that is precisely because they are not made of ivory, but a kind of resin or plastic. Real ivory keys, which thankfully are no longer a legal or commercial option, had a better grip. Over the last couple of decades, piano manufacturers have increasingly been putting fake ivory plastic keys on their pianos to make them easier and more pleasant to play. For some reason, it seems that the proportion of digitals with ivory keys is far greater than that found on acoustic pianos, even new ones.

Regarding Roland and Korg - yeah, back in the 1970s, I had a vague idea that Korg was English - based in Cambridge, and that Roland was American. But no, they're as Japanese as Kawasaki. It's funny, but there doesn't seem to have been even one British synthesiser/ electronic keyboard manufacturer of note. Unless you count the great and glorious Mellotron, built in Birmingham out of parts for BSA motorbikes (or very similar).

Isn't that a darling? Was used for Court of the Crimson King, apparently. (And I'm thinking it would go nice in Melodial Works's 'messy old' studio

As for the mighty American companies: Moog, Oberheim, ARP, Rhodes, Hammond, Rogers - and more recently Sequential Circuits and Ensoniq......I don't think any of them are still going any more. Not as wholly US design and manufacturing companies, anyway. There is Alesis of course. They do some great, innovative things, but I don't think anyone would say their keyboards are up to much in terms of piano-like touch.

Realistically, while the memory increase is welcome, I wonder whether it's sufficient to address both stretching and decay (not to mention looping). I seem to recall that Casios are generally stretched over groups of three or four notes, and so it's debatable whether a 3x memory allocation is going to do more than deal with a single issue - either stretching, or decay, or loop lengths. Of course, they may be employing some very sophisticated technology to eke out the available resources across the board, but I note that there is no mention of 88-key sampling. Still, the proof of the pudding...

Yes, Casio (along with virtually every other DP manufacturer) could really, really use something along the lines of a ~30x memory upgrade. But if they reduce the stretching, fix their decay profile, and throw in some decent sympathetic resonance, watch out!

Two (count 'em, two!) brownie points to the person who provides the first DPBSD MP3 stool sample!

No videos of the new pianos on you tube yet. Sounds like the same piano sample is being used with a new sound processor. Any opinions on Casio fixing the problems with their keybeds? What about the price hikes. All the new models will cost nearly 50 percent more than the current models. Are there enough improvements?

The Celvianos will probably get the same improvements as the Privias. Casio to date uses the same technology and action in both lines. It will be interesting to see where the pricing goes on the Celvianos. It looks to have doubled on the Privias.

It seems quite ridiculous that in 2012 musicians are still hoping that a new model of piano will have a decent sample memory. I'm still in the market for a DP but I am having trouble parting with my money when they generally still sound nothing like an acoustic piano.

It seems quite ridiculous that in 2012 musicians are still hoping that a new model of piano will have a decent sample memory. I'm still in the market for a DP but I am having trouble parting with my money when they generally still sound nothing like an acoustic piano.

I completely agree with you.

However, Roland SN is fairly realistic sounding, with none of the compression artifacts you hear in Yamaha, Casio, Kawai, etc. Pretty good sympathetic resonance too.

It seems quite ridiculous that in 2012 musicians are still hoping that a new model of piano will have a decent sample memory. I'm still in the market for a DP but I am having trouble parting with my money when they generally still sound nothing like an acoustic piano.

I completely agree with you.

However, Roland SN is fairly realistic sounding, with none of the compression artifacts you hear in Yamaha, Casio, Kawai, etc. Pretty good sympathetic resonance too.

+1 on that. its amazing that my iPhone has 13.6 GB of memory and we all go "oooohhh" over Nords onboard 500 MB. i know not all memory is the same. But this industry is dragging its feet on this issue. the Kronos seems to be breaking to the lead on this, if they can get the complete package together.

its amazing that my iPhone has 13.6 GB of memory and we all go "oooohhh" over Nords onboard 500 MB. i know not all memory is the same.

Correct, apples and oranges, except Nord oranges are red.

The iphone 4 has the most memory of any iPhone... 512 mb of volatile RAM. Nord has 500 mB (or whatever) of more expensive non-volatile RAM (using a kind of flash). Separately, the iPhone has 16 gb+ of offline storage (another kind of flash). The fact that iOS devices have so little real RAM is why apps run out of memory, even though there is plenty of free storage space.

Kronos leads on the idea of using SSD streaming for pianos, probably because Korg has been building on the Linux foundation since the 2005 OASYS.

It's all about their profits, which is completely understandable in many ways, and also why it will never change! Unless we start an Open Source Digital Piano Project. I'm going to go get a start on whittling my keys ;-)

No videos of the new pianos on you tube yet. Sounds like the same piano sample is being used with a new sound processor. Any opinions on Casio fixing the problems with their keybeds? What about the price hikes. All the new models will cost nearly 50 percent more than the current models. Are there enough improvements?

its amazing that my iPhone has 13.6 GB of memory and we all go "oooohhh" over Nords onboard 500 MB. i know not all memory is the same.

Correct, apples and oranges, except Nord oranges are red.

The iphone 4 has the most memory of any iPhone... 512 mb of volatile RAM. Nord has 500 mB (or whatever) of more expensive non-volatile RAM (using a kind of flash). Separately, the iPhone has 16 gb+ of offline storage (another kind of flash). The fact that iOS devices have so little real RAM is why apps run out of memory, even though there is plenty of free storage space.

Kronos leads on the idea of using SSD streaming for pianos, probably because Korg has been building on the Linux foundation since the 2005 OASYS.